Identifying the drivers of insecticide resistance in Brazilian Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti is the most important vector of at least four fatal and/or debilitating arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika). Insecticide-based approaches remain the major intervention to minimize vector-borne disease burden across the diseases. In Brazil insecticide resistance is increasing, likely as a result of overuse or misuse of insecticides. One major source of selection may come from unregulated and increasing use of household insecticides, but the contribution this makes is very poorly understood. This project will investigate the mechanisms of resistance and cross-resistance between household and public health insecticides in Brazilian Ae. aegypti. Th aim is to demonstrate how household insecticides could contribute to the broad evolution of insecticide resistance, and to provide new molecular assays to monitor resistance changes.